Microsoft Consoles and Updates

[Maf]

I honestly think it’s just to try get people hooked on Gamepass. I think Microsoft know that the traditional console is on it’s way out. Stadia is a browser, Xbox are putting most if not all there games on PC, Phil Spencer has said in interviews that he cares more about people playing their software than buying their hardware.

 

I think the Digital only S is literally just a way to say “Here is what we have done with Xbox in the last 5 years, come try it all out for £200”. I think their whole bet right now is they think Gamepass is great, people who use it say Gamepass is great, they are combining it with Gold membership so you can’t avoid getting Gamepass, and they really think anybody who tries it will love it so when they put out a £400 or whatever box next year you are more hooked in to and familiar with that ecosystem come back for it again. 

 

In theory it is great. I think the big drawbacks is, again, it’s on a standard Xbox One. It’s just not a recommendable system to play games on at this point. Good for a tour of Xbox content? Maybe. But not a serious contender for being your primary gaming device. Also just all the Xbox stuff kind of fell through and never materialised. It’s hard to point to a good Xbox exclusive in the last 2 years outside of FH. I would of said Cuphead but now that’s on Switch. 

 

I also don’t think they are making this move purely on futuristic vision. I think after a whole generation of taking it in the ass (Particualrly in the beginning) is a big motivator for them to try get away from this type of business. It’s expensive, difficult, and under more threat all the time. They did this before with the original Xbox as well. Where it just got trounced by the PS2 so they were like “Fuck it, put out the 360 cut this generation short” 

 

To me what they are trying to do with this Xbox model makes sense for them and their long term goals, but only as a demonstration of Gamepass and not actually a long term gaming solution. 

[DANGERMAN]

@Maf I get that, I just think this is such a half-arsed way to go about it. It's not tempting enough and it's too late in the gen for it to have any impact. If all you want to do is try Gamepass then you can buy a 2nd hand Xbox, if you don't want a 2nd hand one, the full console is about the same price. 

 

Gamepass is great for people who already have the means to use it, for everyone else it's a £200 outlay before you even get started on it, and that's £200 a year before the new consoles arrive. It's pointless

[Sly Reflex]

9 minutes ago, DANGERMAN said:

It's pointless

 

This.

 

If they were selling it for £100 or just giving it away free if you bought a few years Gold and Gamepass in front it'd have been great. The package they're selling as is, not so much.

[Maf]

@DANGERMAN And I agree with that, I think. I have an X under my TV and I’m not even using Gamepass just because I don’t need another 100 or whatever games to play when I have a bunch of unopened ones sitting next to my TV. Like who has the time? And like I said I don’t believe even Xbox thinks this is a long term solution for anyone, it’s just the most direct way to get people to see what they got. 

 

The only part I disagree with is the “Not tempting enough” part. You can’t say that for everybody. I think if this new model generates enough talk, headlines and attention for people to hear “100 games for £200” there will people out there that sounds very good, too. Is it as simple as that long term? No. But. A lot of people won’t know that. My cleaner bought her son an Xbox 2 months before the X came out. I didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise. 

 

This is not not going to change the console race right now, I don’t think anything can. But it gets the message out there now of how Xbox does business, and primes people for the future even if they don’t buy it right now

[Hendo]

To be fair, my Xbox is more or less what they are selling. A disc has never, and probably will never, enter the system while I own it. I’m sure the previous owner did use discs in it though.

 

I only download games from Game Pass, Gold and ones I can download that I previously had on 360. It’s a fully digital only box and I’m happy with that. Without Game Pass, it would be a stupid idea, but they made the right decision to go down that path.

[Maf]

In other news Ninja Gaiden 2 is now BC compatible on Xbox One.

 

I really liked that game but did anyone ever figure out how to beat the big exploding turtles without dying? You remember that? I never understood it 

[Maryokutai]

Yeah, that's not going to set the world on fire.

 

But then again I don't even remember the last time I actually played a free Gold game. I usually download them, forget about them, and then delete them a few months later when I need some space.

[Hendo]

Replies on that Twitter thread seem to think it’s Wolfenstein 2.

[Maf]

The fake emails on the side are great. Good job, marketing team

[Hendo]

And the people were right.

 

 

[mfnick]

Holy shit another 4 games I’m really interested in including Wolfenstein 2 which I’d just love to replay! I need to stop buying games and just settle with game pass. Struggling to keep up. 

[Maf]

Honestly if they keep this level of quality on this service, and say Sony doesn’t invent a better one, next gen I might be a Gamepass user only with only exceptions being buying the biggest game releases that you know won’t be on there (Red Dead 3 for a made up example)

[DisturbedSwan]

Wolfenstein 2 is the biggest get in that list and it's been out a fair while. The rest aren't exactly amazing in my view to be honest.

 

Sony already have a quasi Game Pass equivalent in PS Now @Maf, just people forget about it. I imagine PS Now will get beefed up next gen and will be very similar to Game Pass, just how Microsoft had to start giving away free games on XBL Gold because PS+ starting giving them away last gen.

[Hendo]

PS Now isn’t forgotten, it’s rubbish as it currently stands.

[regemond]

Yeah, PS Now is starting to add downloadable games to the service, but it still doesn't offer the convenience GP does yet. I'm pretty sure the discussion re Now vs. Game Pass happened about 6 months ago anyway.

[Maf]

I said I tried PS Now the other day and it was shit. Some games it lets you download, but typically the ones I wanted to play you can’t download. You also can’t record anything off of PS Now as well.

 

Also it doesn’t seem to get some of the titles that GP gets. Or if it does no one is talking about it. 

[DANGERMAN]

not that this is the thread for it, but if the rumours are true and the PS5 will play the older playstation games as well as PS4 then PSNow, with the downloadable aspect, might be a pretty good service. But that's a lot of ifs

[Jimboxy]

@Nag+1 for Bobby Dazzler

[DisturbedSwan]

So did you actually try it and play some games or just browse a few menus before giving up after finding out you couldn’t record @Maf? ?

 

I’ve never tried it myself so can’t speak from experience. The only point from my last post was that Sony has already invented an equivalent to GP in PS Now - PS Now actually preceded GP - some years ago. 

 

I think Game Pass is genuinely fantastic, I really do. I can’t wait to see what PS5 PS Now looks like, I can’t imagine PS5 Exclusives being Day 1 with PS Now next gen but you never know. There could be two tiers like Gold and Platinum with the Platinum tier only having Day 1 exclusives, who the fuck knows though at this point.

[Maf]

@Blakey You posted right under where I talked about PS Now today lol

 

What I want PS Now for it doesn’t work for or do a good enough job of. Granted, I haven’t tried GP but the fact you can download all the games immediately solves my biggest issue with PS Now where you can only download some of the games.

 

Even if GP came out way after the fact it still feels like PS Now is playing catch up with only letting you download select games, only putting PS4 games on their relatively recently, and not including all first party exclusives. It just doesn’t hold the same value proposition. 

 

And this month might be weak for Gamepass but want it only last month they had Monster Hunter World and some other big game on there as well?